How to squeeze marathon training into your day, even when you’re a career obsessive

When you’re chasing your career dreams, one skill that becomes indispensable is learning to strategically free up hours like a time-saving savant: putting bill-pay on autopilot (+1 hour monthly), ordering groceries online (+2 hours weekly), or refreshing your tresses with dry shampoo (+1 hour every time).

And if you’re training for your first marathon on top of crushing your full-time hustle—like Well+Good account executive Ali Feulner—your time-management skills go into overdrive. Her biggest trick? Transforming an otherwise stationary subway commute into her daily training.

“Running along the water and taking in all of the beautiful sights the city has to offer (rather than being on a subway!) is a huge release for me and allows me to get centered before a long day,” Feulner says of her weekday jaunts, which she pops out daily in anticipation of the New York City marathon this November. “I really use this time to set the tone for the day ahead and get my mind in the right space.”

And if you’re thinking, “Sounds lovely, but how is this possible?”, relax: Feulner has three worn-in tips for hitting the pavement and still looking like a profesh—whether you have your sights on a marathon or simply squeezing more activity into your 9-to-6 situation.

Keep reading for 3 strategies to turn your commute into a daily run (and feel like the polished professional you are).

1. Plan out your schedule (but be flexible with it)

Sticking with a daily running routine does take a bit of foresight, preferably on a Sunday afternoon with a golden-milk latte in hand. With a birds-eye view of the week ahead, ask yourself what times work best for your run. Do you have any early a.m. meetings? Planning a night of drinks with friends? Adjust accordingly.

“Depending on my after-work obligations, I’ll choose to run to work that day and if I have a morning meeting I will do my run after work,” Feulner says. “The days that are more open and I am feeling ambitious I will run to and from work.”

In the end, it all balances out. “The run is a little over 4 miles each way, so I try to log about 24 miles during the week and then do my long runs on the weekend,” explains Feulner.

2. Keep your beauty essentials at the office

Worried about the excessive sweat that happens when you move faster than walking pace? When face-to-face meetings are on her docket, Feulner makes a pit stop at a nearby gym to shower. Her laptop and extra shoes go into her North Face backpack, but to save space she keeps her makeup bag at her desk.

To preserve her post-run glow, she uses her Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer. “I put it on once I get into the office with my trusted beauty blender,” she says. “It gives me a dewy, fresh look and makes me look not as tired after the run.” (She wakes up at 6:30 a.m.) She finishes off with a few swipes of bronzer, blush, and highlighter from her Jane Iredale GreatShape^™ Contour Kit. Clean, glowing, and ready to take on the day.

3. Keep your wardrobe versatile

Feulner values “comfort, versatility, and performance” in her workout wear—and her office wear, too. Case in point, Athleta Track Tux Tights. The fitted, high-rise black tights stand up to the challenge of twice-a-day running commutes and transition seamlessly into 10 a.m. meetings.

“They look chic but are also super functional and perfect for running (super breathable and sweat-wicking) and you can totally dress them up with a blazer,” Feulner says. (And yes, she keeps a blazer and heels at the office for when she needs to spiff up in a hurry.)

And if it’s a run-home-from-work day, the heels swap out for ASICS sneakers.  “When I run home from work, my mind is clear, I am overall happy no matter what happened in the work day and enjoy the rest of the night cooking and hanging out with my fiancé,” says Feulner. “Why wouldn’t you want to use running as a means of commuting?”

Check out her sweat-ready outfit, below—and click the hotspots to shop her picks.

Athleta Track Tux Tight

$89

Athleta Limitless Tank in Bright White

$39

Gel-Lyte® Keisei by Asics®

$90

Belkin Fitness Armband (similar)

$40

Athleta All In Bra in Auberge/ Candy Apple

$59

In partnership with Athleta

Photos: Tim Gibson for Well+Good